Hunter’s contract extended to 2020

Men’s basketball Head Coach Ron Hunter received a two-year extension to his contract Friday that will keep him here until at least April 30, 2020.

Hunter will receive an increase in his base salary to $425,000 in the 2014-15 season. Additionally, if Hunter leads Panthers to an NCAA appearance, this base salary would increase $500,000. The buyout clause will remain the same at $650,000.

This came roughly a month after he led the Panthers to a Sun Belt regular season championship, posting a 25-9 record overall and a 17-1 in the conference. This was his second extension since taking the position in 2011.

The 2013-14 Sun Belt Coach of the Year has brought success to the program since he arrived, signing great talent like Ryan Harrow, Manny Atkins, R.J. Hunter and, recently, Kevin Ware.

In just three seasons, Hunter has totaled 65 wins, including two post season berths, while setting both school and conference winning streak records. Hunter has enjoyed his time at Georgia State and is striving for more.

“We are excited to be here, we are excited to bring championships to Georgia State and we are excited to bring postseason opportunities to this great university and its incredible students, alumni and fans,” Hunter said to Georgia State Athletics.

“I especially want to say thank you to all of those who made this possible, including my great coaching staff – which I feel is the best in the country – and of course to my players.”

For Athletic Director Cheryl Levick, Coach Hunter is who they envision to lead the program and the extension shows that.

“It was an absolute pleasure to extend coach Ron Hunter’s contract,” Levick said to Georgia State Athletics.

“Ron [Hunter] epitomizes what we want in a coach, a leader and a role model for the Georgia State Athletics Department, and he has all the characteristics needed to build a powerhouse program in the Sun Belt Conference. We have made a commitment to each other through 2020 and look forward to many championship celebrations in the coming years.”